


They Look Good on You

by Cilantro999



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Reminiscing, Subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cilantro999/pseuds/Cilantro999
Summary: Elma wonders why she continues to wear heels, as impractical as they are, and is reminded about a former cadet turned hero said something to her long ago.Spoilers for those who have not played through Chapter 5.
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thank you for reading this work! It's been a while since I've posted anything, just trying to get back into the swing of things. This time, attempted to post a full story instead of releasing it piece by piece. Feel free to comment/critique the work.

Elma shot off the bed, hands frantically reaching for the weapons on her back until she realized it was just a dream. Taking several shaky breaths as she tried to get her heartrate back to normal, Elma sat on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands. It was an old dream, one of many she sometimes wished she could simply forget. She’d actually almost forgotten about it, at least, until the new Blade had shown up in Starfall Basin. Somehow, she felt something familiar about them. Or maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, making her see what she wanted to see. Feel what she’d thought she’d buried long ago.

Shaking her head, Elma headed to the kitchen area to get a glass of water, trying not to make too much noise from the clicking of her shoe heels. She wondered why she continued to wear them, as impractical as they honestly were. That was, until she remembered what he’d told her years ago.

_They look good on you._

She chuckled to herself as she poured a glass of water, but paused as she stared at her reflection. Dark skinned, white hair, blue eyes. A reflection that she still had a hard time recognizing as her own.

“Elma?”

Shaking her head, Elma looked up to see Lin standing in the doorway.

“Sorry Lin, did I wake you?” Elma asked.

Lin shook her head, “Not really; Tatsu’s been rolling around in his sleep again. You okay? You looked a little…I don’t know, lost in thought.”

Elma hid the surprise she felt; as young as Lin was, Elma often forgot how observant the young girl could be, “It’s nothing, really. Just been having some old dreams. I came out to clear my head a bit, but it hasn’t exactly been helping.”

“Oh, I see,” Lin said, biting her lip as she looked down. Then, seemingly steeling herself, she blurted out, “Want to talk about it? I heard it’s sometimes better to let things out then bottle them up. That is, only if you want to…”

Elma thought about it for a moment, then sighed as she sat down on the sofa, “Not sure how to explain all this. It’s kind of a long story.”

Lin’s face lit up, “I don’t mind!” Then, her face fell, “Well, as long as you don’t mind?”

Elma paused, then chuckled as she gestured to the seat across from her, “Alright then. Where should I begin?”


	2. Black Tar

_Three years before the invasion of Earth_

Elma’s eyes opened as she heard the birds chirping just outside her window. She enjoyed the cheerful sounds they made, very different from the noises she was used to from her home world. Former home world, she should say. Stretching, she got out of bed and made her way downstairs where the strong smell of coffee greeted her. Something else she’d gotten used to after the few decades she’d been there.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Chief Engineer Jack Vandham said, plowing through a box of donuts he’d brought with him, “Want one?”

“Thanks,” Elma said, though with one eyebrow raised at the mess he was making, “What brings you here?”

“What, I can’t stop by the home of an old friend?” he asked. When Elma frowned at him, he shrugged, “Alright, alright. Actually, I’m here to give you a heads up that we’ve got a brand-new batch of bright eyed, bushy tailed recruits that’re waiting to be trained on those new Skells of ours.”

“Uh, right,” Elma said, not sure exactly what he meant by that last bit. She didn’t remember seeing anyone with a bushy tail, but then again, she hadn’t seen everyone on the planet yet. Finishing her food, Elma walked into the other room where a doll like figure lay. Her other half, her mimeosome. Her lie to the world. A face based on her own and yet looked nothing like her. After all these years, she still didn’t quite know how she felt about it, even if she was the one who introduced the technology to the humans. And suggested that she use it out in public.

Shaking her head from the negative thoughts, Elma laid into the capsule like device next to the mimeosome. Pressing a button on the side, she felt the disorienting lurch as her consciousness transferred from one body to the other. After ensuring that all parts were in working order, she got up and took one last look at her real body before leaving and locking up the room.

“Gets me every time I see you like that,” Vandham said, “If I hadn’t experienced it myself not too long ago, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”

Elma gave a tight smile, “Well, there are still a number of improvements that could be made. I’ll be heading to the training grounds, then.”

Vandham nodded, “Try not to kill the recruits today, would ya? We need them to turn them into soldiers, not vegetables.”

“And how exactly would training them turn them into leafy greens?” Elma asked, utterly confused.

Vandham opened his mouth to explain, then thought better of it, “Never mind. Just, go easy on them? It’s their first training session.”

Elma huffed, “We won’t be prepared if I ‘go easy on them’. I’ll give you my report later today.” Then she was gone, briskly making her way through the complex towards the training grounds. As she arrived, she was met by a man and a woman who quickly saluted her.

“Good morning, Colonel,” the woman stated.

Elma nodded, “Irina, Gwin, good to see you both. What’s on the agenda today?”

“Got a new set of recruits that appear eager to learn, ma’am,” Lieutenant Irina Akulov reported.

“Though for how long, that’s got to be seen,” Gwin Evans mumbled under his breath. Choosing to ignore him, Elma looked out at the recruits getting warmed up behind the two. Five this time: four guys and one girl. Steeling herself, Elma walked over to stand before the recruits.

“Alright, let me have your attention,” Elma said. Though she didn’t speak particularly loudly, the recruits all quickly rose and gave salutes fit for someone of her rank, “We’ll be starting with a basic training regimen today to see where you all stand in terms of ability. Start with 50 laps around the complex.” Though she saw disappointed looks on some of their faces, all five eventually began running. They went through a series of strength, endurance, and speed tests until Elma was satisfied she knew what their skill levels were, “Good, that ends today’s session. Tomorrow we’ll start with more personalized training for all of you.”

While the girl and a couple of the guys appeared ready to pack up and head home, the arrogant guy of the group angrily shouted, “That’s it? We never even got to touch the Skells!”

Elma sighed under her breath; there was always one in the group who was too ‘fired up’ for their own good, “Before you can pilot a Skell, you first must train your body and your mind. Not just anyone can hop into a machine and make it work for them. It will become an extension of yourself; thus, until you can control your own body, you have no right to control a Skell.”

The guy scoffed, “I think I can handle my body just fine. Besides, you hardly looked at us, just had us running laps and lift weights.”

Elma stopped Irina from angrily stepping in, “Fine then. Irina, could you referee?” When the other woman nodded, Elma motioned for the guy to step forward, “Seeing as eager as you are, let’s see what you can do. Five minutes. If you can get a hit on me, I’ll consider you ready to pilot a Skell.”

The arrogant guy sneered as he faced off against Elma, “Don’t be mad when I knock you to the ground.” Without any other warning, he went for a full-on tackle, only to find that Elma wasn’t there anymore. Slamming into the ground, he glared up at the eerily calm Elma.

“That all you got?” she asked. With a roar, the guy rose up and tried again, not seeing the fist that planted itself in his solar plexus until it was too late. This time, he stayed down, wheezing as the pain radiated throughout his body. Knowing he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, Elma looked over the group, “Alright, anyone else?” The other recruits wouldn’t meet her eyes. All except one.

“I’ll go!” one of the guys said. Elma hid her surprise; she hadn’t pegged him as the type to pick a fight. In fact, the ridiculous grin on his face somehow was getting on her nerves.

“You of the same mind as him?” Elma asked.

The guy laughed, “Oh no, no, no. Honestly, my legs feel like they’ll give out any moment. Just thought, given the opportunity to face the legendary Colonel Elma herself, why not take the offer?”

Elma raised an eyebrow as she squared off against the guy. Irina looked to both contestants, then raised her hand, “You have five minutes. Begin!” When her hand fell down, unlike the arrogant guy, this one took his time studying Elma, as if waiting for her move. Inwardly huffing to herself, she shot forward only to have her fist blocked by his. Their exchanges grew more and more intense with time, though neither seemed to have the advantage. That was, until Elma sent out a lightning fast kick towards his head. Too late, she realized she’d gone in for a killing blow and had no way to pull back. She caught a smile flash across the guy’s face as he brought a hand to block. Then, to her shock, he let his hand fall slightly and his face took the brunt of the attack.

Elma froze as Irina rushed to the recruit’s side. He slowly sat up holding his noise, which appeared to be bleeding, though he was otherwise seemingly okay, “Match ended in Colonel’s favor. Recruits, get this man to the infirmary. You’re all dismissed.”

As the new recruits (minus the arrogant one) pulled the downed guy to his feet, Elma finally broke out of her trance, “You. What’s your name?”

The guy grinned through the blood streaming down his face, “Xavier, ma’am. But everyone just calls me Cross.” After a nod from Elma, the group dragged the bleeding recruit off to the infirmary.

Irina and Gwin came up to Elma after the recruits had left, “You okay, Colonel?”

“Yikes, that was some beating he took,” Gwin whistled, “You got to hand it to him, he’s got guts.”

“Yeah,” Elma replied absentmindedly. After a short moment she asked, “Could the two of you get me some information about the recruits?”

Gwin nodded, “Sure, which ones?”

“All of them,” Elma responded, “But especially on the last one, the one who calls himself Cross.”


	3. Uncontrollable

Xavier Rook. Apparently known as Cross, a pun on his first initial. The more she read about him, the more confused she became. Average grades, average performance. He was, in all practical senses, the epitome of…ordinary. Normally, that shouldn’t have been a problem. After all, there were always some that were more impressive than others. But this wasn’t a normal situation. Indeed, the very existence of the human race was hanging in the balance.

So, what was a guy like him doing there?

However, when she brought it up with Vandham, he simply shrugged his muscular shoulders, “None of my business who they choose. Ain’t that your job? To pick out the best of the best?”

“I’m asking why he’s even in the pool of candidates to begin with!” Elma repeated, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

“Does it matter?” Vandham replied, “If he doesn’t cut it, kick him to the wolves. Biggest thing for me is to make sure they can handle the mental strain of the mimeosomes. That’ll probably be the ultimate make or break for most of these recruits. Why are you so interested in this one candidate, anyways?” She was about to bite back when she paused. Why _was_ she so interested in this one particular candidate? Like she’d just been harping to Vandham, he was exceedingly ordinary.

Except that she didn’t think he was.

She was now surer than ever that he could have blocked her final kick during their practice match. Yet, for some reason, he’d deliberately taken her attack head on. And if that were the case, were his average, well, everything deliberate as well? So lost in thought, Elma didn’t notice where she was going when she bumped into someone in the hallway.

“Oh, sorry about that,” she quickly apologized.

“No worries, that was partly my bad!”

Elma felt her heart sink a little as she recognized his voice. The voice of the man who’d been on her thoughts all too often most recently, “Cadet, good to see you. Heading off to your next training session?”

“Just finished, actually,” he replied, his chipper voice grating against her nerves.

She tried to school her face, giving him a polite smile back, “I see. Well then, have a nice day, Cadet Rook.”

She thought she saw a muscle twitch in his eyebrows, before he smiled back at her sheepishly, “Ha ha, sorry, it’s a bit weird hearing that. I know it’s strange, but mind calling me Cross? Even ‘Cadet Cross’ would probably be better. Not used to people referring to me by my last name.”

Though that peaked Elma’s interest, she was careful not to let it show on her face, “Alright, Cadet Cross. See you at your next training session.” He gave a cheerful salute and was gone before she could blink. While she gave a sigh of relief that he was no longer there, the tight feeling in her chest still wouldn’t go away.

It wasn’t until several weeks later that Elma was able to put a name to that tightness in her chest. As she sparred the recruits as she always did, she felt the growing dread as Cross’s turn came up, goofy smile like normal.

“Five minutes,” Irina stated, looking between Elma and Cross before bringing up her hand, “Begin!” That feeling kept growing stronger and stronger as he blocked just as many blows as he took, and she knew that he wasn’t taking the fight seriously at all. When the fight ended, he made himself look as if he were out of breath, but Elma saw that he had hardly broken a sweat. She had hoped that after all this time, he would have changed, knowing what was at stake…

“Lost again!” Cross grinned, putting his hand out to shake with Elma, “Can’t beat you Colonel, huh?”

That’s when she snapped.

“If you don’t care or can’t be bothered to take this seriously, then leave,” Elma seethed. Then, she stormed out of the training grounds, Irina and Gwin in quick pursuit.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frustration.

That was the feeling she had when she saw Cross. He had so much untapped potential hidden under his goofy smile. A chance to really be a leader in the fight to save Earth. And all he chose was to flush it all down the drain.

“Colonel!”

Elma paused, turning to see Gwin and Irina rushing up to her, “Irina, Gwin. Sorry about that back there.”

“It’s fine, really!” Gwin replied as Irina nodded, “But you don’t exactly lose your temper easily. Did something happen?”

Irina snorted, “That cadet was obviously holding back, and not just a little. He’s practically looking down on the colonel.”

“Really? I didn’t notice,” Gwin said, “Although, I have seen him kind of stare off into nowhere when he thinks no one is watching.” There was a short pause before Gwin asked, “Hey Colonel, mind if I talk to him? Just to see if there is something on his mind that he might share with another guy.” He brough his hands up quickly in a surrendering stance, “No offense to you two!”

Elma sighed, “I won’t keep my hopes up, but do whatever you think needs to be done.”

It wasn’t until after the two were gone and Elma’s nerves finally started to cool down that she realized how ridiculous it was, getting as worked up about a potential candidate. They had only been in the program together for a little over a month, not long enough to disclose the true significance of the Skells and the danger Earth was in. In some senses, it was unfair to judge him based on knowledge that she knew and wasn’t telling. Not that the though was making her feel any better. Sighing, Elma made her way back home, wondering how best to apologize to Cross.


	4. Your Voice

_If you don’t care or can’t be bothered to take this seriously, then get out of my way._

Cross sighed as he thought back to Elma’s words. It wasn’t like he was trying to get on her nerves on purpose. It seemed that at some point along the line, he’d lost sight of who exactly he was. No, actually, he knew exactly when he’d strayed from the track his family always wanted him to go down. He sighed once again, staring out onto the training grounds.

“That was some sigh I heard.”

Cross whipped his head around at the voice and was surprised to find Officer Gwin Evans standing in the doorway holding what suspiciously looked like a beer bottle. Actually, make that two.

“Officer Evans, sir,” Cross said, giving the proper salute.

But Gwin simply waved him down, “At ease, Cadet. I bring a peace offering.” Gwin held out the beer bottle and after a short pause Cross accepted it, turning back to look down at the training grounds, “That was something yesterday, huh? To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Colonel ever yell at anyone. At least, not like that.”

Cross chuckled humorlessly, “Well, wasn’t exactly my intention.”

“Mind talking to me?” Gwin asked, “Man to man? Not that you have to or anything, just only if you want to.”

“Right…,” Cross replied sarcastically. The glanced down at the bottle in his hand, then turned back to the field below. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he blurted out, “I had a brother.”

“Oh?” Gwin said, “Older or younger?”

“Older, by a few years,” Cross answered, “Cadet Xander Rook. I’d always looked up to him, ever since we were kids. Always wanted to copy what he did. What I didn’t realize was how much that was taking its toll on him.”

Gwin waited for him to continue as Cross paused, his eyes looking far off into the distance as he reminisced, “It was right after I joined the Academy. The teachers were always comparing me to Xander; he’d apparently had some difficulties when he first started, unlike me who practically breezed through the coursework. Apparently, some of that had trickled back up to him. And he confronted me about it.”

_Why are you always copying me? Can’t you do anything on your own?_

Cross broke out of his stupor, scratching his head, “Not long after, he went on a mission and never came home. He’d apparently been a little reckless, trying to impress the higher ups. But it always made me wonder, did I have something to do with it? If I wasn’t constantly following him around, would things have turned out differently. And, before I knew it, here I was. Shooting right down the middle for everything, aiming for ‘average’. If I didn’t stand out, didn’t get in anyone’s way, maybe things would be fine.”

When it was clear Cross wasn’t going to say any more, Gwin spoke up, “Hey, sorry to hear that man.” Cross silently nodded, still staring down somewhat listlessly at the field below. After some time had passed, Gwin suddenly said, “If I could give my two cents? You know, about you just aiming for ‘average’? You sure that would make your brother happy?”

That seemed to snap Cross out of whatever he was thinking, “Huh?”

“You see, I’m kind of in the same boat as your brother,” Gwin continued, “Not that I have a younger brother or anything, but there’s this guy I know. We’re best buddies now, but when we first met, I couldn’t really stand him. He was everything I…well…wasn’t. Good grades, good at sports, had the girl I liked. I thought he had everything. So, I kept trying to one up him in everything. And you know what?”

Cross shook his head, “What?”

“I found myself doing better at everything I wasn’t good at before. Grades, combat, you name it,” Gwin replied, “Well, and found out that the girl I thought he had was actually his older sister, but that’s beside the point. What I meant to say is that, he gave me a goal, something to strive towards. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him always being one step ahead.”

“So, that’s how you became best buds?” Cross asked, one eyebrow raised, “Once you got the all clear to chase after his sister?”

“Hey, that’s not…!” Gwin started before he realized Cross was holding back a grin, and gave one in return, “Well, okay, maybe a little, but all the other stuff is true too. Can’t speak for your brother, but I would like to think that he wouldn’t have wanted you to take it easy on him. That you’d always be there pushing him to strive higher, no matter how tough it got.”

Cross whispered under his breath, “Why do you always copy me, huh?” Maybe his brother had been trying to give Cross a push himself, to put forth his best even if he would surpass his brother. Holding up his beer bottle, Cross gave a nod to Gwin and the two clinked bottles. Taking a swig of the now warm beer, Cross murmured to no one in particular, “Thanks.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Colonel Elma.”

Cross found the colonel on the advance training course, just as Gwin had told him. Taking a deep breath, Cross said, “Just wanted to apologize for my behavior these past few weeks. There’s a lot I’ve had to think about, but I think I’ve got it sorted now. I know I don’t have the right to ask, but I hope you’ll give me another chance out on the field if the opportunity presents itself.”

He gave the customary salute, but just as he turned to walk away, Elma gestured to the space in front of her. When he gave her a questioning look, she replied, “A rematch. To see how serious you are about this. Same rules as they’ve always been. That alright with you?” Cross nodded, settling into a loose fighting stance. Five minutes to get a hit on the colonel. To be honest, he wasn’t sure what his odds were if she were to really get serious. But after his conversation with Gwin, Cross suddenly felt the urge to push the limits.

Elma set into her own stance, studying Cross closely. She could already sense a difference in him compared to their last match. His breathing was quiet, body relaxed, but there was an underlying tension in his body. As if he could spring at her at a moment’s notice.

Time seemed to halt as the two combatants eyed each other, like two samurai warriors poised for the fatal strike. Then, faster than a person could blink, the two struck at each other. As the dust settled, Elma smiled at the fist millimeters from her face, her own fist slightly farther from his face due to their difference in reach, “So, you can do it if you try.”

Cross chuckled and the two relaxed their stances, “Took me a little while to get there, but yeah think I’m fine now. Thanks for the rematch.”

“Report to the Skell hanger tomorrow at 6 am sharp,” Elma said, “You’re going to have a lot of catching up to do.”

Cross broke into his signature goofy grin and replied with a crisp salute, “Yes ma’am!”


	5. Melancholia

“Well, it seems congratulations are in order.”

Cross looked up to see Irina and Gwin walking towards him in the hallway and grinned, “All thanks to a certain someone’s hardcore training regime. Speaking of, where is the colonel?”

Irina shrugged, “Last we saw, she was talking with Chief Vandham and Captain Nagi. Sounds like they were going over some scheduling checks.”

“Great, thanks!” Cross said, waving to the two as he took off. Making his way down the various hallways, he was happy to see Elma just heading out of Captain Nagi’s office, “Colonel!”

Elma looked up in surprise, then gave a faint chuckle, “That title goes to both of us now, doesn’t it? Congratulations, Cross. It seems you passed even my initial expectations.”

Cross gave an embarrassed laugh as he scratched his head, “Well, I didn’t give a lot of assurances when I first started. You heading somewhere after this?” When she shook her head, he perked up, “Then, want to head somewhere together? I heard there’s a coffee shop that just opened up. They’re giving free samples to everyone who stops by during their grand opening. Oh, but they do sell tea too, if coffee isn’t your thing.”

“Alright, I guess it’s good to get out every so often,” Elma said, “After you.” The two chatted some more as they made their way to Cross’s car, an old classic car that really was meant more for the scrap yard than on the road. He mentally cheered when his car actually started, and though it was a little bumpy, they finally made their way into the city.

He of course cried a little inside when it decided to stall about half way to their destination.

“We’ll get you the estimates once we take it into the shop,” the towing company said, handing Cross a copy of the report.

“Thanks…,” Cross weakly replied as his beloved car was pulled out of sight. Sighing, he turned sheepishly to Elma, “Uh, well, sorry about that.”

Elma shook her head ruefully, “I still don’t understand what you love about that old thing. Couldn’t you get something more reliable? I would think your salary could cover something like that.”

“It’s not the same!” Cross exclaimed, starting a tirade of terms that flew way over Elma’s head until she motioned for him to slow down.

“Alright, alright!” Elma replied, “While I might not understand fully, I can see it’s something that you’re really passionate about. That being said, what will we do about the coffee shop? Is it close enough to walk to?”

“Well, it’ll take us a while to get there on foot,” Cross said, biting his lip, “And it doesn’t look like there’s a taxi in sight.”

Elma chuckled, “Then we better get a move on.”

That being said, it was of course an impossible task and dark had fallen by the time they had arrived. Cross’s heart sank at the clearly marked ‘Closed’ sign. Karma for…well…something he did in the past.

“Guess we didn’t make it this time,” Elma said, “Shame, was looking forward to trying their coffee, though I am more of a tea person. Irina had also told me about this place, and recommended to try it at least once. Something about the blend, she said, made the taste richer than your typical coffee.”

“Sorry,” Cross mumbled. But as they were about to leave, the two heard a faint meow and a black tabby crept out cautiously from the ally beside the coffee shop. He watched as Elma bent down to pet the cat, the cat practically melting into her hand as it purred loudly, “You a cat person?”

Elma smiled faintly, “I had a Siamese for a while. She would scratch up everything I owned, but I still enjoyed her company. She sadly passed away a few years ago, old age. Makes me realize how short, yet full of life some lives are.”

“Sounds like you really liked her,” Cross said as the cat gave one more meow and sauntered off into the darkness, “Ever think about getting another?”

Elma shook her head, “I wouldn’t have the time to take care of another at this point. Not with the clock ticking down, so to speak.” She paused for a moment before walking down the street, “We should start heading back, while the buses are still running.”

“Guess I owe you a coffee next time we have some time off,” Cross said as he followed behind Elma.

Elma chuckled, “I’ll be looking forward to it.” The two walked in silence for a while, though it wasn’t an uncomfortable one. Still, Elma searched for something to say, not wanting the time to end, “So I guess you know that I’m more of a cat person now. What about you? Are you a cat or dog person? Or something else, for that matter?”

“Hm,” Cross replied, thinking about it for a moment, “If I were to choose myself…rather than a cat or dog, I would probably call myself an Elma person.” It took a moment for that to register with Elma. When it finally clicked, she turned to protest and found herself much closer to him than she had expected. Looking up, she was surprised to see a gentle expression on his face, his usual grin absent.

But before anything could happen, the world around them exploded.


	6. So Nah, So Fern

The invasion had happened had happened all too suddenly. Cross, Elma, and the others scrambled to help where they could, protecting the White Whale as it exited Earth’s atmosphere. They shot down mech after mech, more than they could count, hoping and praying that the White Whale would be able to pull through. Miraculously, they did pull through, one of the few ships that was able to make it.

And so, two years had passed relatively peacefully.

“How is everything looking?” Kentaro Nagi, captain of the White Whale, asked as he always did at the start of the first watch (they had since settled on a three-shift watch, as there was no sense of day or night in space).

“Quiet as usual,” Cross reported, “Not that I’m complaining or anything. Would be nice to find a place to say ‘land ho!’ so we could stretch our legs. Or would that be ‘planet ho?’”

Captain Nagi chuckled, “Glad to see you chipper as ever, Cross. While I understand your sentiments, sitting on pins and needles won’t help that day come any faster. We will just have to wait and see if Lady Luck will smile on us some day.”

“Captain Nagi, Colonel Cross,” Elma said as she joined the two, “Wasn’t expecting to see the two of you together. Especially with Cross at the controls.”

“Ah, cut me some slack Elma,” Cross grinned, “The guys normally at the controls needed a break, and besides, there isn’t much for us to do.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Elma replied. But just as she said that, the warning lights kicked on and sirens began to ring out throughout the cabin. The doors behind them burst open as the operators returned, scrambling to see what was going on.

Captain Nagi began barking out orders, “Operators, get me a status update on the double!”

“Sir, there’s an unidentified object coming towards us,” one of the operators reported, “Making contact in T-minus 30 seconds. All hands, brace for impact!”

“Wait, negative, make that a cluster of smaller objects,” another operator shouted. He went silent before cursing, “It’s them.”

“What?” Captain Nagi demanded, before the ship suddenly rocked rather violently.

The operators righted themselves, desperately typing at the controls, “It’s a fleet of alien mechs. They look to be of similar make to the ones that attacked Earth.”

Captain Nagi cursed under his breath, “They found us? How?”

“Sheer luck and numbers would be my guess,” Elma answered, “The fleet sent to destroy Earth was probably only a small fraction of their full fighting strength. I bet they’ve been on the lookout ever since.”

“Captain Nagi sir,” Cross cut in, “We need to get out there and stall them. If they all fire on us now, there’s no way we’ll get out of this alive.”

“Negative, Colonel Cross,” Captain Nagi countered, “Most of our Skell units are still under repair and too risky to send out. With the fleet size estimates from the operators, our ship’s combat system should be able to handle this.” Just then, another explosion rang out and more red appeared on the monitors overhead. An ominous creaking sound began to ring out in the cabin, “Status update!”

“Ship’s taking heavy fire, sir!” one of the operators shouted, “The automatic firing system can’t keep up. She’s not going to last much longer!”

The captain cursed as he staring at the controls. Glancing at the interstellar map, he saw that there was a nearby planet that they had originally marked to be further studied for signs of life, “Start a gradual descent towards that planet, saving as much of our power as possible for breaking our decent through the gravitational field. What’s the estimate on how long we can last?”

“Five minutes at max, sir,” the navigator replied, “Less if we keep taking damage.”

“Sir, let me go out there,” Cross repeated.

Captain Nagi shook his head, “I’m not sending one of my best men out there to be killed!”

“At this rate, none of us are going to make it!” Cross shot back. Elma was shocked at the strength of his words before Cross reined himself in, “Two minutes. I’ll make sure we can get safely into the planet’s atmosphere.”

Captain Nagi bit back a protest; he knew there was no other option, “Two minutes. Then you get yourself back on this ship.”

Cross gave a crisp salute, “Yes sir!” Then he was gone, rushing to the flight deck with Elma in hot pursuit.

“I’m coming with you!” she exclaimed. Before he could protest, she continued, “That’s a tandem Skell. You can’t fly it alone.”

Cross paused, his face inscrutable, before nodding, “Come on.” The two quickly strapped themselves in, Cross in the primary cockpit and Elma in the secondary, “Hold on, it’s going to get a little bumpy.” As soon as they exited the ship, they were surrounded by mass chaos. Shooting and slicing left and right, Cross and Elma managed to push back the alien forces. But they still came, like flies to a corpse. There didn’t seem to be an end in sight.

“Cross, Elma, get yourselves back here now!” Captain Nagi yelled over the comms, “We’re about to dive into the gravitational field.”

“Roger, sir!” Cross started to reply, only to be cut off mid-sentence as a force slammed into their side. His vision went black for a second, and when he recovered, he saw that the Skell had taken heavy damage. There was no way it would be able to make it back to the White Whale. He heard Elma groan and knew there wasn’t much time left. Ripping out the secondary cockpit, Cross attached it to his last remaining weapon.

“Cross, what are you doing?” Elma demanded, her voice barely crackling through the broken comm system.

Cross grinned into his mouth piece, fighting back the pain he felt rush through his side, “Sorry, but I’m going to have to take a rain check on that coffee I owe you.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes!” Elma shouted, “Reconnect my unit to the Skell!”

But Cross shook his head, even though he knew she couldn’t see it, “Can’t Elma. I know about your mission, your real mission. The reason why you came to Earth.” She went deathly silent on the other end, and for a second Cross wondered if their comms were even connected anymore, “They won’t survive without you.”

“How…?” she whispered, “How long have you known?”

Cross painfully chuckled, “Long enough to realize I never had a chance with you.” He paused as he fought past the pain, then said, “Keep rocking those heels, you hear me? They look good on you.”

“Cross…,” Elma said before she was shoved back in her seat and realized that he’d thrown her and his weapon towards the White Whale, “CROSS!!!!”

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As he watched the secondary cockpit carrying Elma fly towards its destination on the White Whale, Cross leaned back as the blue biocirculatory plasma leaked through his hands, “Goodbye, Elma.” Then his view went black as the Skell shut down.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again to everyone who made it to the end, thanks again for reading my work! Hope you enjoyed this short fanfic, would like to release more in the future if time permits. If you like, let me know how you felt about the piece in the comments section and hope to see you all in the future!

“And that’s how I found myself back on the White Whale, moments before we crash landed on Mira,” Elma said. She’d honestly been surprised by how much she had actually enjoyed talking about it, almost as if a weight was slowly being lifted off her chest, “We never found the tandem Skell, or at least any hint of it. Not that we’ve had much time to look.”

“Elma…I don’t know what to say,” Lin replied with tears in her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”

But Elma shook her head, “There isn’t anything for you to apologize about. In fact, I should probably be thanking you. I don’t think I realized how much I really wanted to talk to someone about it.”

Lin smiled, “Any time!” Looking up at the clock, Lin practically shot up in surprise, “Whoa, when did it get this late?”

Elma quietly chuckled at the sight, “Alright, to bed with you. We have another busy day tomorrow.”

“Oh, right,” Lin replied. Getting up from her seat, Lin gave a quick smile as she headed off to her room, “Goodnight, Elma.”

“Goodnight, Lin,” Elma replied. She stared down at her hands once more before getting up from the sofa and heading to her room, the familiar clicking of her heels following her as she went. She didn’t notice that someone had been listening in on their conversation as Cross peeled themself off the wall with a smile as they also tucked in for the night. Maybe tomorrow they would ask Jo to make that nice cup of coffee their namesake owed Elma.


End file.
